Wife of The Demon Prince
Chapter 122: The wedding (part 1)

Chapter 122: The wedding (part 1)

The morning of the wedding day. Ara was immediately rushed off her feet the moment she opened her eyes.

They were already quite a few people present in her room, including Mary, who came early. And a few hair stylists. The servants gave her a long fragrance bath, after the bath, the hair stylist made her hair and another lady gave her face a touch up.

Three more servants helped her get into the wedding gown after her hair was fixed. She was dressed completely from head to toe. Finally the dressing was over and she slowly stepped out from the dressing room.

Everyone’s mouth fell open at the sight of the bride. She wore the gown with the golden embroidery on it’s sleeves, the white gown had a full circular skirt with a demi-train sweeping the floor. Her exposed neck was adorned with the shinning diamond necklace with it’s matching earrings dangling on her ears. Her red hair was tied in a lower bun.

"Oh good Lord!" Someone exclaimed among the servants.

They were all stunned speechless. Ara was already a beautiful lady, but today, she dazzled so bright like an angel. It made everyone in the room captivated by her beauty and couldn’t even form a single word.

Mary quickly came forward, "Y-you...you look so beautiful! I have never seen such a pretty bride before. His Highness is really lucky to have you!"

Ara shyly smiled at her compliment, "Don’t exaggerate it, Mary..."

"Am not exaggerating, and I know everyone in the room also think so. Right?" She asked the others. And they all nodded in agreement.

Anne recovered from her dazed state and remarked, "Sister, Did you see yourself! You look more gorgeous than ever before."

"Yes, my lady. You look like an angel in the white and gold gown!" Said the hair stylist.

As they all complimented Ara, she was suddenly swept up by a new feeling of embarrassment and happiness. It was finally the day...

Soon a knock came from the door. Anne was the first to get the door, "Who is it?" She asked. Then came the butler’s voice from outside, "Lord Richard is here."

Ara heard what the butler said, and everyone else heard it, so they all started to step out of the room to give them some privacy. But before leaving, Anne asked if Ara would like her to stay back, "No, It’s alright." Anne nodded and made to leave as well.

After everyone left the room, Richard entered. He was already dressed in a custom black suit, with his red hair smoothed backwards, he looked different, but he still wore the solemn and heavy look of a middle-aged man.

"Are you ready..."

"Yes, father."

For a moment Richard admired his beautiful daughter in silence. He had a proud-like look on his face. He then pulled out a small black box from his inner coat pocket.

Ara glanced at it questioningly. Richard opened the black box revealing a delicate a purple pearl bracelet. Ara immediately knew what it was.

"Father..."

"It belongs to your mother." He said with a bitter smile. "As she isn’t here to bless you herself; I will like to give you this in her place, I have kept it for a long time and I think it’s time you also keep it." There was an indecipherable emotion in Richard’s tone as he spoke, for the first time in her life Ara thought she saw a flicker of the boundless affection he felt for her in her father’s eyes.

Richard picked out the bracelet from the box and stretched his hand forward for Ara to bring her hand, she slowly brought her hand forward. He then put the bracelet around her slender wrist regaining his usual stony expression, before he resumed to say,

"As from today onwards...you will no longer be the daughter of the general, but the crown princess of Findara, and from this moment onwards...you won’t see me as only your father, but your servant..." He instructed with a grim expression, "You have to behave like royalty and make the Boxton family proud, most importantly never bring disgrace to our family, remember that Arabella."

It was a tradition, once you gave your daughter to royalty, you’d have to respect her and treat her like one of the royal family. But a day like this, Ara would have liked her father’s warmth alone, but she already knew his character too well, he had his own way of showing concern.

Ara nodded, "I will keep that in mind, Father."

Richard offered her a stiff smile and said in a low voice, "I’ll go ahead first, I’ll see you in the ceremony."

"Yes, father." She gave him a small smile before he turned and left the room. After the wedding, their relationship would be of a crown Princess and the general, she’d no longer be able to call him father, but to her; no matter the tradition, he was still her father, and she’d make sure to keep him alive in this lifetime.

Ara glanced towards the mirror and her gaze fell on the purple pearl bracelet that belonged to her mother. Before their mother’s death, she’d always wear the bracelet, Ara could picture the warm smile on her face as she’d fix her hair, she would always catch sight of the bracelet on her mother’s wrist everytime. Even the day she died after giving birth to Anne, the bracelet was still around her wrist.

Ara felt her throat clenched at the thought of her mother.

_Mother...if only you were here to witness this day._

If only the time had went back to when her mother was still alive, and just maybe their mother would had been here today. Even though the memories she had of their mother was faint in her mind because she was still quite young when she dead, Ara still held tightly to the little she remembered of their mother.

As Ara thought of their mother, Anne’s excited voice rang from the outside, "Sister! The bridal carriage has arrived for you!"

Soon the door flung open and Mary and Anne came in to escort her out to the bridal carriage.

The golden carriage was decorated with flowers and it glitter under the sunlight. Tall, fully armed guards were on their horses behind the carriage, they were to escort the carriage that’d take the bride to the wedding venue, a precaution for any mishaps that might occur, and a normal safety measure for royalty.

As soon as Ara stepped out of the Boxton mansion with Anne and Mary on both sides, all the guards bowed their heads and greeted in unison,

"Hail Her Highness!"

Ara was taken aback by the royal greeting, it was the first time she’d been addressed in such a way. They already considered her part of the royal family even before the wedding was completed? She was astonished by the title, but Mary and Anne were amazed and quite excited as they both squealed.

All the Boxton servants came to see her off. The coachman opened the carriage for her, she turned and glanced at the mansion before carefully stepping inside the carriage with the servants helping her with the gown. She couldn’t help but feel more nervous.

Anne and Mary went in the other carriage. And so they headed straight to the wedding venue.

The golden carriage moved inside the Vollobe square. There were already people lined up on either side of the street tossing rose petals on the moving carriage. Ara gazed at the people from the carriage window, her face was already covered with the sheer white bridal veil.

She was stunned to see this much people outside the hall. Each person looking like highly important figures, most of them probably traveled from other kingdoms here to witness the crown Prince’s wedding. Ara’s heart thumped wildly in her chest, even though she knew it was a contract marriage. But it was still her first and probably last wedding...

Even though the wedding was only to show their fake love to the kingdom, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She wondered how Hamon was feeling right now, was he also as nervous as she was?

The golden carriage finally came to a halt in front of a magnificent massive set of brown double doors that led to the large wedding hall. There was already a red carpet spread from the carriage to the entrance of the hall. Ara slowly emerged from the carriage with the help of the maids from the carriage following behind. All the guards lined outside the entrance bowed at her in greeting meant for royalty. Ara was taken aback for the second time again, she wasn’t really used to all this royal greeting yet.

The double doors were already left opened as all the guests were already present in the hall, she slowly and steadily took light steps following the red carpet that led to the hall’s entrance, and with each step she took forward was a step closer to a new and different life completely different from her last life.

Ara’s heart was thumbing fast in her chest as myriads of questions clouded her mind. In order to save her family she had taken this drastic step, would this really be the step that would change the past in a completely different direction? Would her efforts make this lifetime better than the last, or worst?